The following is the last of a series of posts on Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym. Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym (Rafael Trejo Gimnasio al Aire Libre) is, from my understanding, the oldest Western boxing gym in Havana, Cuba. Rafael Trejo was a Cuban who was murdered by police in 1930 during a student protest against the Machado government. Rafael Trejo, a law school student president, became a martyr and a hero for the Castro regime. (Source.) The gym is named in his honour. I only spent two days and no nights in Havana. Finding the gym was my main focus. I had arrived in Havana years earlier, in 2006, to source out a boxing gym to train at. I didn't find one. In 2013, I … [Read more...]
Boxing In Cuba – Training At Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym, Havana
My first impression of Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym (Rafael Trejo Gimnasio al Aire Libre) was that it was beautiful. The pockets in the plaster walls, the cracks in the concrete floor and the shots of red running throughout created warmth within my body. The ring, surrounded by stadium seating on two sides and bags on another, was well maintained. A slight breeze moved within the gym. Air flow. All of this made Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym a desireable location to train. I arrived to find the gym empty but for one woman. I wasn't prepared to train; I made the trip that day from Jibacoa to Havana with two friends, a tour guide and a private driver. I was there to see the facilities, … [Read more...]
Cuban Street Photography
The photos in this series provide a glance of Havana. They were taken over the course of two days and are the third installment to a three part photo series of Havana. Part I is here. Part II here. While walking the streets of Havana, I picked up on what I wondered if my travel partners didn't see or chose not to discuss. I could see things I didn't during my first trip to Havana in 2006, or perhaps, what I currently fail to remember. Much of it is due to spending 2.5 years in Buriram, Thailand; it changed my life and my perception of much. There's a feeling I tapped into in Buriram, a feeling I can't quite put into words, but it's a feeling that was echoed in … [Read more...]
Devil’s Night – An Indie Film That I Was In
The document I began after playing the lead in Devils Night, a five minute horror film by Mikey Brand reads: The morning after acting in Mikey Brand's submission for the 48 Hour Horror Film Challenge....I'm left with red and swollen toes from wearing 8 inch (plus?) stilettos for hours on end, my right hand is bruised from beating a dingy basement door and one of my lower teeth is now left jagged and slightly chipped from swigging Cuban rum from the bottle...suffering for art can be a lot of fun! Ha! Looking forward to the final product. Stayed tuned people, the raw footage is indeed that, raw. Let me take it to the beginning. Sometime in October … [Read more...]
Sawsing Sor Sopit vs. Farida Okiko – Results From Santai Festival 2014
Santai Muay Thai Gym (San Kampphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand) held what I would like to see as the beginning of a pattern of Muay Thai fights to come. Santai Festival's February 15 main event was a female fight between Sawsing Sor Sopit and Farida Okiko with a purse equaling 55,000 THB (at time of writing, approximately $1,560.00 USD). This is remarkable in Thailand as female Muay Thai fighters are awarded significantly less prize money than males. Santai owner Nik Hjalmarsson on the event: The idea of making the form like this was the fact that it is very hard for females to make money from fighting; we wanted to whip it up a bit and make it interesting. In … [Read more...]
Support Kickboxer Mark “Fightshark” Miller’s Battle With Congenital Heart And Renal Failure (Sans Medical Insurance)
I met Shelby Jones in May 2012 in Ventura, California shortly after I arrived in North America post spending three and a half years training muay thai in Thailand. Shelby was among one of the first people to ease me back into Western life by virtue of simply hanging out and being non-judgmental of the re-entry shock I was facing (thank-you). It was through her that I learned of American kickboxer Mark Fightshark Miller. Shelby is both Mark's friend-meets-family and strength and conditioning coach. Mark's story: Mark has been training and fighting in combat sports for years. This was halted by open heart surgery in 2007 due to a congenital heart defect (CHD). In 2011 he … [Read more...]
Open Call For Female Fighters, 55 kg To Fight In Thailand In February 2014
Santai Muay Thai Gym, located in San Kamphaeng, Thailand (approximately 18 km from the city of Chiang Mai) is holding an eight bout Muay Thai promotion with the main event showcasing female fighters at 55 kg (121 lbs). The purse is 55,000 THB (at time of writing, approximately $1,560.00 USD). This is a significant purse for female fighters in Thailand. Interested fighters can contact Nik Hjalmarsson (Santai Muay Thai Gym). Include your record, a photo, any titles you have and anything else that may put you in the running. For example, if you lack a title but have wins over some tough opponents, let Nik know. Do you have a great video that shows your skills? Send the … [Read more...]
I’m Still Here
A number of you have sent messages inquiring about my whereabouts. What have I been doing? Am I okay? Is the blog still active? I want to thank you all, including those who remain silent but continue to check in for new content. I never would have expected to deviate from posting twice weekly on MBSB but the reason for it all has been rooted in the positive. I've been living in the present. I've gotten lost. In June I returned to Toronto, a city I previously lived in after an approximate four and a half year hiatus. I spent an estimated ten years of my life here and this is the first time I've been able to experience it in the way I truly desire. The … [Read more...]
Havana – Beauty In Decay
There is something hauntingly alluring about beauty in decay, particularly when the process is as organic as the subject. It's one of the reasons autumn is my favourite season. It's also one of the reasons I was originally attracted to Havana. I spent two days and no nights in Havana as I took day trips from Jibacoa to the capital. Many of the sites in this piece are ones that most travellers to Havana will visit on organized government tours; I tried to capture, perhaps, a different view of what many tourists photograph. At times, it was a challenge to not snap shots of foreigners in this Havana photo series. The buildings in this photo series provide a … [Read more...]
Havana – Everything Good, Bad And In Between Will Exist In Another
It's interesting slouching in a hard-backed wooden chair, wearing a black scarf and my roommate's hoodie, surrounded by ivy and white Christmas lights while attempting to conjure memories of my one week stay in Cuba six weeks gone. I'm in Toronto, I'm outside, it's September and the heat of Havana's pavement is so far away. My nose is cold and the sky is black. It's 8:27 pm. Cuba was a last-minute decision and Havana was a weird mix of a focus and an after-thought. This happens sometimes when I travel - I become ambivalent. Riding the present while concurrently possessing some sense of duty to the trip. Thoughts of what I should be doing, of what I may regret if I … [Read more...]
Muay Thai Mexico: Interview With Horacio Gutiérrez
Horacio Gutierrez is a Mexican mixed martial artist who has competed in Muay Thai, boxing and MMA. In Mexico he fights out of Baan Singto in Guadalajara and in the US out of Chicago Fight Team in Chicago. Horacio Gutiérrez's stats: Record: Muay Thai 14-2; Boxing 4-0; MMA 4-0 Fight Weight: 145lbs, 66kg Legal Name: Horacio Gutierrez Villanueva Fight Name: Punisher (Castigador) Date Of Birth: 15 September 1990 Please tell us about your fight sport history. I began training Muay Thai at the age of 14 years old. I also train boxing. I started training MMA in 2012. Where are you currently … [Read more...]
Muay Thai In Mexico: Interview With Mariana de Lira
Mariana de Lira is a Mexican Muay Thai fighter training under Carlos Singto Navarro at Baan Singto Muay Thai gym in Guadalajara. Mariana de Lira's stats: Record: 11-1 Fight Weight: 55 KG Legal Name: MARIANA DE LIRA ROSALES Fight Name: FURIA Date Of Birth: 24/01/1986 Please tell us about your Muay Thai history. I started training Muay Thai about 5 years ago. I just got to some MMA gym because a friend told me just to go to exercise ourselves. I trained very irregularly in that gym. Then I started listening to comments of one particular Muay Thai professor Carlos Navarro. Good comments and also comments about … [Read more...]
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